Understand Your Government

Federal Government

• Links to federal government resources.
  

Local Government in Maine

• Find out about Maine towns, cities, and counties.
  

Maine State Government

• State Agencies
  An index to all state government agencies.
• State Constitution
  

Maine State Government

• Maine State Government Structure
  The three branches of state government and the major departments and structure of each branch.
• Citizen's Guide to the Maine Courts
  Learn about Maine's judicial system, how the courts are organized, and the steps in the trial process.
• Find Your Elected Officials
  Lookup your Maine and US legislators based on your town or zip code.

Budget Information

• Maine Bureau of Budget
  Information about the current state budget, including appropriations by department and policy area.

Lawmaking & Rulemaking

• Maine Statutes
  A complete listing of all Maine laws.
• Search Statutes
  Search Maine's laws by keyword.
• Search Legislative Bills
  Search Bills currently in the legislature.
• Check Status of Legislative Bills
  Find out the current status of a Bill as it moves through the legislature.
• How a Bill Becomes a Law
  Learn the steps by which a Bill moves through the legislative process and may eventually become a Maine law. From the Maine Law and Legislative Reference Library.
• The Path to Maine Lawmaking (for students)
  A kid-friendly site from Maine's Secretary of State, with a video, animated cartoon, lesson plans and other information about lawmaking in Maine.
• Glossary of Legislative Terms
  A useful glossary of terms used in the Maine legislative process.
• Maine State Agency Rules
  The federal government and many states have adopted administrative procedure acts. The intent is to improve public access to state government agency decision-making and to increase awareness of agency rules. Rule-Making Procedures.
• Municipal Ordinances Online
  Many local ordinances are posted on the Maine Municipal Association web site. For additional municipal information, try the Maine.gov Local Government portal.

Lawmaking & Rulemaking

• Laws & Law Enforcement
  Maine Laws, Constitution, Agency Rules, Law Enforcement, Law Libraries, Legal Assistance, Legal Resource Sites, Victim Services